By Jae-Ha Kim
Amazon.com
November 6, 2007
For all intents and purposes, Noel and Liam Gallagher are Oasis. So in Oasis: Lord Don’t Slow Me Down, it doesn’t really matter that the rest of the band (which includes Ringo Starr’s son Zak Starkey on drums) wasn’t in the lineup when the group made it big in 1995 with songs such as “Wonderwall.”
The two-disc DVD offers a documentary as well as a concert filmed in the group’s native Manchester, England, in 2005. In its heyday, Oasis was at the top of its game. They looked and sounded like the Beatles and had the raging attitude of the Rolling Stone and the Sex Pistols. Oasis was the best band in the world; they’d tell anyone who’d listen. And in the mid-1990’s, a lot of people believed them.
Some dozen years after its heyday, Oasis isn’t nearly as popular as it once was. But the group is still fierce when it comes to performing live; musically, they are completely in synch. Songwriter Noel’s arrangements, guitar playing, and harmony, perfectly complements younger brother Liam’s lead vocals.
Liam is an unusual front man who rarely moves on stage. Often seen with a dour look on his video-friendly face, he stands at the microphone stand with his hands behind his back. He leans in when he sings, and when he’s done he may shake a tambourine. But mostly, he stands still, letting his voice, rather than his body, tell their songs’ stories.
The film captures the excitement Oasis can still generate in its fans, although both the Gallaghers’ voices tend to be drowned out during the performance. Yes, it’s true that the vociferous audience is vocal throughout the show, often singing along with the brothers, but the audio quality of the concert footage isn’t up to par with what today’s technology can offer.
The documentary portion is a fascinating look at the combative brothers, who spew expletives at each other in thick Mancunian accents. Whether they truly have that much contempt for each other or realize that it’s a great marketing scheme is debatable. But it’s still entertaining to watch.
The same can’t be said for the extras, which aren’t worth looking at unless you enjoy viewing shaky cell phone videos shot by fans.
